Parrish on Pearl, Assistants

I've certainly moved on, but interesting nonetheless. Article generates some mixed opinions--Pearl clearly doesn't come off well, but Forbes and Shay sound pretty whiny as they took some baited questions. The Shays lived in my neighborhood here, and I wish them well.

The guys had posh jobs for a while and lost them because the program went into the NCAA ditch while they were there. They had to take less posh jobs. Life is now less good than it was pre-cookout. Are we supposed to feel sorry for them because Bruce still has a nice house?

Bruce still has it rough....I go into a small town out of the way store to grab a biscuit and there stands Bruce himself. (Hackney furniture plant is just down the road.) I just spoke and went on because this is my house and I'm the Rockstar in these here parts!

The guys had posh jobs for a while and lost them because the program went into the NCAA ditch while they were there. They had to take less posh jobs. Life is now less good than it was pre-cookout. Are we supposed to feel sorry for them because Bruce still has a nice house?

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Agree. Perhaps the threat of his wife being unfriended on facebook will finally get Pearl's attention, and he'll open up his wallet and give them money. They had great jobs here. They made mistakes. Next time try to find a coaching tree with more than one branch.

The guys had posh jobs for a while and lost them because the program went into the NCAA ditch while they were there. They had to take less posh jobs. Life is now less good than it was pre-cookout. Are we supposed to feel sorry for them because Bruce still has a nice house?

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I think the angle is that Forbes and Shay have heard through the grapevine how other coaches in similar situations handled the issue and are angry Pearl didn't take similar actions for them. For example, I won't name names, but I think you'll be able to figure out who I'm talking about in these situations. In one case, a coach was at war with his university president. After a spring and summer of back and forth, the coach decided he'd finally had enough. He went to the administration and said he'd give them what they want, with a couple of conditions. Those were that a current member of the staff would be named the interim coach and handle the upcoming season and all assistants who didn't find work elsewehere would remain on the university payroll for two years. In the other situation I'll cite, a coach was being torpedoed by an incompetent ahletic director who was looking to sacrifice him and his program in an attempt to save his football golden goose. Said coach finally told the AD he was going to quit, but made it known he'd air out each and every piece of department dirty laundry he was aware of if any of his assistants were fired or reassigned without having other work lined up. That's how a coach takes care of his people.

I think the angle is that Forbes and Shay have heard through the grapevine how other coaches in similar situations handled the issue and are angry Pearl didn't take similar actions for them. For example, I won't name names, but I think you'll be able to figure out who I'm talking about in these situations. In one case, a coach was at war with his university president. After a spring and summer of back and forth, the coach decided he'd finally had enough. He went to the administration and said he'd give them what they want, with a couple of conditions. Those were that a current member of the staff would be named the interim coach and handle the upcoming season and all assistants who didn't find work elsewehere would remain on the university payroll for two years. In the other situation I'll cite, a coach was being torpedoed by an incompetent ahletic director who was looking to sacrifice him and his program in an attempt to save his football golden goose. Said coach finally told the AD he was going to quit, but made it known he'd air out each and every piece of department dirty laundry he was aware of if any of his assistants were fired or reassigned without having other work lined up. That's how a coach takes care of his people.

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I can buy that. I could buy the angle that the NCAA acted unfairly by tagging them as not forthcoming when they were in an impossible spot.

The article read to me, though, as if Parrish was trying to make readers feel sorry for the injustice done to Shay and Forbes, who have to work at Jucos and high schools, while Bruce is living in a mansion by selling tomatoes. That's the wrong angle, designed for sensationalism.

I can buy that. I could buy the angle that the NCAA acted unfairly by tagging them as not forthcoming when they were in an impossible spot.

The article read to me, though, as if Parrish was trying to make readers feel sorry for the injustice done to Shay and Forbes, who have to work at Jucos and high schools, while Bruce is living in a mansion by selling tomatoes. That's the wrong angle, designed for sensationalism.

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I did think the story was a little over the top in trying to make it seem as if Forbes and Shay are living in a homeless shelter.

I think the angle is that Forbes and Shay have heard through the grapevine how other coaches in similar situations handled the issue and are angry Pearl didn't take similar actions for them. For example, I won't name names, but I think you'll be able to figure out who I'm talking about in these situations. In one case, a coach was at war with his university president. After a spring and summer of back and forth, the coach decided he'd finally had enough. He went to the administration and said he'd give them what they want, with a couple of conditions. Those were that a current member of the staff would be named the interim coach and handle the upcoming season and all assistants who didn't find work elsewehere would remain on the university payroll for two years. In the other situation I'll cite, a coach was being torpedoed by an incompetent ahletic director who was looking to sacrifice him and his program in an attempt to save his football golden goose. Said coach finally told the AD he was going to quit, but made it known he'd air out each and every piece of department dirty laundry he was aware of if any of his assistants were fired or reassigned without having other work lined up. That's how a coach takes care of his people.

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Good examples. He undoubtedly could have taken much better care of his staff. Pearl's opulence and love of himself on camera/print/whatever doesn't help the situation either. I've never expected coaches to be apologetic about their wealth, but Pearl's "i've been poor my whole life--now i'm rich, and I like rich better" schtick always made me cringe. And while I'd feel the same way about Pearl (and I know my wife would), i didn't like how the pettiness distracts from the point of the article.